Swimming & Diving thread

[Sylvia]

2022 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS, June 18-25, 2022 (pool swimming) in Budapest, Hungary:

19th FINA World Championships Budapest 2022 - Hungary | World Aquatics Official

Follow the latest schedule, medal table, results & more for 19th FINA World Championships Budapest 2022 - Hungary.

www.fina.org

Katie Ledecky "has reclaimed her gold medal in the 400 freestyle. Despite not taking back her World Record from Australian Ariane Titmus [3:56.40 at the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships on May 22], she did break the Championship Record in the event with her time of 3:58.15. Her time took down her own mark of 3:58.34 from the 2017 World Championships."

Katie Ledecky Breaks Championship Record in 400 FR, #2 All-Time Individual Golds

Katie Ledecky broke her own Championship Record in the 400 freestyle, swimming a time of 3:58.15 to best her time from the 2017 World Championships.

swimswam.com

Canada's Summer McIntosh (younger sister of pair skater Brooke) won her first World silver medal in the 400 freestyle:

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/aquatics/swimming/aquatics-world-championships-roundup-1.6493580

Clip of the finish: https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1538207023430606850
CBC Olympics' clip (for McIntosh's silver): https://twitter.com/CBCOlympics/status/1538203709284524032

 

[A.H.Black]

I'm glad I didn't miss the whole thing. I will be watching but not recording this year.

Was there a reason Titmus was not in the 400m freestyle with Ledecky? I obviously have not kept up. How it the US team looking this year?

 

[ilovepaydays]

Bobby Finke ( - 800m free) is a boss. That is all.

 

[Sylvia]

Was there a reason Titmus was not in the 400m freestyle with Ledecky? I obviously have not kept up.

June 4th article:

Ariarne Titmus Dealing With COVID; Uncertain of Duel in Pool Battle With Katie Ledecky

Ariarne Titmus was forced to leave a promotional photo shoot after feeling ill, with a positive test for COVID-19 following.

www.swimmingworldmagazine.com

Just a couple of weeks removed from setting the world record in the 400-meter freestyle at the Australian Championships, Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus is dealing with COVID-19. The middle-distance star recently felt ill during a photo shoot with several fellow National Team members and was forced to leave the event early.
Titmus has decided to skip this month’s World Championships in Budapest and is isolating while she deals with the effects of COVID. Titmus is planning to compete in the Commonwealth Games in late July and early August, with the competition scheduled for Birmingham, England.

 

[Sylvia]

Was there a reason Titmus was not in the 400m freestyle with Ledecky? I obviously have not kept up.

June 4th article:

Ariarne Titmus Dealing With COVID; Uncertain of Duel in Pool Battle With Katie Ledecky

Ariarne Titmus was forced to leave a promotional photo shoot after feeling ill, with a positive test for COVID-19 following.

www.swimmingworldmagazine.com

Just a couple of weeks removed from setting the world record in the 400-meter freestyle at the Australian Championships, Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus is dealing with COVID-19. The middle-distance star recently felt ill during a photo shoot with several fellow National Team members and was forced to leave the event early.
Titmus has decided to skip this month’s World Championships in Budapest and is isolating while she deals with the effects of COVID. Titmus is planning to compete in the Commonwealth Games in late July and early August, with the competition scheduled for Birmingham, England.

Bobby Finke ( - 800m free) is a boss. That is all.

Peacock is livestreaming the medal ceremony now.

 

[Sylvia]

New WR for Hungary's Kristof Milak in the 200m butterfly (he broke his own WR) as the Budapest crowd cheers wildly!

ETA the clip of the finish from NBC Sports: https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1539294310188863494

Also:

Clip of Bobby Finke as he "surges on the last lap to break his OWN American record to claim the world title in the men's 800m.": https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1539282533887660033

Ledecky "wins her 17th World Championships gold in the women's 1500m freestyle as 16-year-old Katie Grimes wins silver": https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1538924776575705088

 

[skipaway]

Coach Rescues Synchronized Swimmer after She Passes out during her Routine

Two-time Olympics swimmer Anita Alvarez fainted and sank to the bottom of the pool during Wednesday’s World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. Her coach on Team USA, Andrea Fuentes, dived in to save her, scooping her limp body up and rushing her back to the water’s surface.

Following the incident. Fuentes accused lifeguards at the venue of not acting fast enough in the face of danger.
“It was a big scare,” Fuentes told Spain’s Marca newspaper. “I had to jump in because the lifeguards weren’t doing it.”

I sometime wonder what’s the use of “emergency service personnel “ at these and other events. They seem not to act quickly to help those in distress.

 

[nickp]

Well done coach Andrea Fuentes! Even the best swimmers in the world need lifeguards

 

[Johnny_Fever]

There's something wrong with a sport where you're driven to that degree of exhaustion.

 

[Lara]

Pretty scary for it to happen a second time to Alvarez - I remember the Tokyo qualifiers where she fainted as well.

 

[A.H.Black]

Quite honestly, I think sometimes the medical personnel are not sure for a second whether an emergency is really an emergency. There are a lot of intricate choreographic moves in synchronized swimming that they are not familiar with. There is that split second of "Is that a problem or part of the routine?"

Andrea Fuentes would have immediately known something was wrong, knowing the swimmers and the routine intimately. Great job on her part to jump in.

 

[skipaway]

Quite honestly, I think sometimes the medical personnel are not sure for a second whether an emergency is really an emergency. There are a lot of intricate choreographic moves in synchronized swimming that they are not familiar with. There is that split second of "Is that a problem or part of the routine?"

Andrea Fuentes would have immediately known something was wrong, knowing the swimmers and the routine intimately. Great job on her part to jump in.

I can understand that, but when an ice skater falls 6 feet to the ice and doesn’t get up…it’s usually the coaches getting to them first instead of EMTs

 

[Sylvia]

Summer McIntosh's impressive accomplishments in Budapest!

Summer McIntosh's second gold medal leads Canada to best finish ever at world championships

Toronto area swimmers lead medal frenzy in Hungary

www.thestar.com

Etobicoke teen swim star Summer McIntosh became the first Canadian to win two gold medals at a world swimming championship with a victory in the 400-metre individual medley (IM) relay event in Hungary on Saturday.
The 15-year-old, who grew up learning to swim competitively with the Etobicoke Swim Club at the Etobicoke Olympium and now trains out of Swimming Canada’s High Performance Centre at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre in Scarborough, also won gold earlier this week in the 200-metre butterfly event on June 22.
Her impressive debut collection of medals also included a silver in the 400-metre freestyle and a shared bronze in the women’s 4X200m freestyle relay.
Her three individual medals were all world junior records.

At 15 years and 311 days, McIntosh is the second youngest winner of the women’s 400 IM behind Tracy Caulkins of the U.S., who was 15-224 in her victory nearly 45 years ago in 1978.
‘’This is a dream come true,’’ she told the crowd in the post swim on-deck interview.

 

[Sylvia]

A background article on Cynthia Potter for those who enjoy her diving commentary:

Before Title IX, an IU diving coach changed the life of Olympic medalist Cynthia Potter

Cynthia Potter switched her college decision from Texas to IU and went on to finish with 28 U.S. titles and a 1976 Olympic bronze.

www.indystar.com

 

[marbri]

Quite honestly, I think sometimes the medical personnel are not sure for a second whether an emergency is really an emergency. There are a lot of intricate choreographic moves in synchronized swimming that they are not familiar with. There is that split second of "Is that a problem or part of the routine?"

Andrea Fuentes would have immediately known something was wrong, knowing the swimmers and the routine intimately. Great job on her part to jump in.

That was the explanation given. That during synchro events the lifeguards have to wait for a signal from officials before reacting. The coach on the other hand knew her routine and that she has a history of this so reacted immediately.

 

[millyskate]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/62072801

 

[Platypus]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/swimming/62072801

In this article she mentions that she's heard she wasn't the only one drugged that night.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/aquatics/swimming/swimming-mary-sophie-harvey-1.6514805

 

[skipaway]

Another Horrifying Fail by Safe Sport and a National Committee to Protect The Vulnerable

Paralympic gold medalist swimmer Robert Griswold “maliciously targeted,” groomed and sexually abused a younger, intellectually disabled teammate, a civil lawsuit filed on Friday in Colorado alleges.

He allegedly abused now-19-year-old Parker Egbert, who has suffered from developmental delay and intellectual disability his entire life

Directly because of Griswold’s “vicious acts” and “the repeated failures of USOPC (the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee) and SafeSport to uphold their duties,” the lawsuit says that Egbert has “suffered severe physical injuries, pain and suffering, and extreme mental and emotional distress, most of which is likely to endure for the rest of his life.”

 

[Sylvia]

https://twitter.com/nzaccardi/status/1640866645122985984

Summer McIntosh, 16-year-old Canadian, breaks 400m freestyle world record at Canadian swim trials. She surpasses Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky.

Recent features on the McIntosh sisters (these links were posted before Worlds in the Canadian Pairs news thread):
https://www.cbc.ca/sportslongform/entry/mcintosh-sisters-unbreakable-bond
https://olympics.com/en/news/canadian-sister-brooke-summer-mcintosh-swimming-figure-skating-canada

 

[Sylvia]

‘Blows my mind’: Titmus’ world record smashed by Canadian teenager

The swimming world is in shock after 16-year-old Summer McIntosh obliterated the 400m freestyle mark held by Australian Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus.

www.smh.com.au

On the evidence of McIntosh’s time, [Ariarne] Titmus faces a mighty battle to make it back-to-back gold medals next year.
McIntosh, who finished fourth behind Titmus and Ledecky in the 400m in Tokyo, stunned the swimming world by clocking a time of 3:56.08 at the Canadian trials.
Her time was more than three-tenths of a second quicker than Titmus’ mark. For context, Titmus took 0.06 seconds off Ledecky’s world record, which had stood since the 2016 Olympics.

Before the Paris Olympics, the trio will do battle at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka in late July, which will serve as an important guide 12 months out from the world’s biggest sporting event.
Titmus famously pipped Ledecky at the 2019 World Championships to signal her arrival on the world stage. Two years later, she had an Olympic gold medal around her neck.
Contacted by the Herald, Titmus declined to comment on McIntosh’s new world record, but a representative for the Australian swimmer said she was “happy” for the rising Canadian star.

 

[yurokis40]

Titmus and ledecky will be also rans in Paris next year, maybe not ledecky because she has the 800 and 1500 and she is untouchable in those , Summer does not swim those.

 

[Braulio]

And Summer McIntosh added another World Record now in the 400m Individual Medley!! at just sixteen.

Titmus will have a tough battle at the Paris Olympics, how and what will she swim? if going for the 200/400 free there she will face the young phenom Summer McIntosh and Ledecky (for the 400m free) and if Ariarne goes for the 800 she could face an experienced Ledecky that most likely will focus on those events as her specialty...

McIntosh can be swimming as much as 6 events in Paris: 200m, 400m free, 200m butterfly, 200m IM and 400m IM plus the 4x200m relay, though the schedule could prevent that, but to her advantage it's her youth and now proved experience

Ledecky can focus with the 400m free (no semis) 800m (no semis) and 1500m (no semis) and the 4x200m free relay.

 

[yurokis40]

And Summer McIntosh added another World Record now in the 400m Individual Medley!! at just sixteen.

Titmus will have a tough battle at the Paris Olympics, how and what will she swim? if going for the 200/400 free there she will face the young phenom Summer McIntosh and Ledecky (for the 400m free) and if Ariarne goes for the 800 she could face an experienced Ledecky that most likely will focus on those events as her specialty...

McIntosh can be swimming as much as 6 events in Paris: 200m, 400m free, 200m butterfly, 200m IM and 400m IM plus the 4x200m relay, though the schedule could prevent that, but to her advantage it's her youth and now proved experience

Ledecky can focus with the 400m free (no semis) 800m (no semis) and 1500m (no semis) and the 4x200m free relay.

Titmus has no chance against Mcintosh next year, what Mcintosh did in the 400 free at 16 is unreal, Titmus could not break the record until she reached her 20`s an then she barely broke it only by 6th hundreths.

 

[Sylvia]

Team Canada (April 2, 2023):

World championships team features mix of youth, experience – Swimming Canada

www.swimming.ca

The World Aquatics Championships will be held July 14 to July 30. The pool swimming events, which begin July 23, will be held at Marine Messe Fukuoka. Open water swimming, which runs from July 15 to July 20, will be held at Seaside Momochi Beach Park.

Team Australia was named on June 18:

Swimming Australia - Worlds at their feet

Swimming Australia is proud to announce the Australian Dolphins team to compete at the 2023 World...

www.swimming.org.au

Team USA (Nationals concluded this past Saturday):

USA Swimming Announces Official Roster for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships

22 women and 26 men will represent the US in the pool at the World Championships this summer, with 5 swimmers competing in the open water events.

swimswam.com

 

[Sylvia]

World Aquatics Championships schedule (July 14-30, 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan) - official website:

Schedule｜World Aquatics Championships - Fukuoka 2023

Schedule page.The official website for the World Aquatics Championships - Fukuoka 2023

www.fina-fukuoka2022.org

USA's coverage on Peacock (live)/NBC:

KATIE LEDECKY HEADLINES LIVE COVERAGE OF 2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGINNING THIS FRIDAY, JULY 14, AT 7 P.M. ET ON PEACOCK

nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com

CBC Sports coverage: https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/aquatics

 

[Sylvia]

2023 World Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

Katie Ledecky swam the top prelims time in the 400 free, setting herself up well for her Day 1 finals showdown with Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh.

swimswam.com

Top 4 - WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE:
Ariarne Titmus (AUS) — 3:55.38 (WORLD RECORD)
Katie Ledecky (USA) — 3:58.73
Erika Fairweather (NZL) — 3:59.59
Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 3:59.94

SwimSwam's recap of the race:

The most anticipated race of this meet may not have been the close battle that we were all expecting, but it did end in a world record. The three main challengers, Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky, and Summer McIntosh let Bella Sims and Lani Pallister take it around first at the 50, but by the 100-meter mark, Titmus and McIntosh took over first and second. Meanwhile, Ledecky was hanging back in fifth–an unfamiliar strategy for her as she usually takes control of the lead by this point in the race.

From there, Titmus never looked back. She charged away, opening up a lead not only on the field, but also on her main rivals Ledecky and McIntosh. Even with that, she still had enough left in the tank to charge home in 28.87 to smash the world record with a 3:55.38. She’s won this race the last 11 times she’s swum it, and now retakes the world record after McIntosh broke her old record in March.

Ledecky used her new strategy to move through the field on the middle part of the race, sitting in third at 100 meters to go. She pulled ahead of McIntosh by the final turn and swam away from her for the silver medal in 3:58.73.

In the biggest surprise of the early goings of this meet, it wasn’t a Titmus–Ledecky–McIntosh podium. McIntosh was the number one pick in the SwimSwam Pick’Ems to win this event, but she ends up off the podium. New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather had hung around in fourth for the majority of the race. She made her move on the final 50, putting up the second fastest closing split in the field (29.09) to grab bronze. Fairweather hit the wall in 3:59.59, setting a New Zealand record and becoming the fifth woman ever under the 4:00 barrier.

McIntosh hung on to finish fourth, also under the 4:00 mark with a 3:59.94.

 

[Immortelle]

Titmus has no chance against Mcintosh next year, what Mcintosh did in the 400 free at 16 is unreal, Titmus could not break the record until she reached her 20`s an then she barely broke it only by 6th hundreths.

 

[allezfred]

It is a special talent to be able to predict so boldly and get it wrong on every single occasion.

 

[ilovepaydays]

2023 World Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

Katie Ledecky swam the top prelims time in the 400 free, setting herself up well for her Day 1 finals showdown with Ariarne Titmus and Summer McIntosh.

swimswam.com

Top 4 - WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE:
Ariarne Titmus (AUS) — 3:55.38 (WORLD RECORD)
Katie Ledecky (USA) — 3:58.73
Erika Fairweather (NZL) — 3:59.59
Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 3:59.94

SwimSwam's recap of the race:

And…….of course we have the reaction from Coach Dean Boxall.

 

[Rukia]

I was waiting for someone to dig up one of these posts because I literally laughed so hard after this race. Congrats to Titmus for absolutely smashing it.